Dhan Dhan Satgur Sachay Patshah Ji Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji has very kindly sung these divine words in the praise of a Puran Sant Satguru. This Shalok very clearly and loudly explains that Akal Purakh resides inside a Satguru and only such a highly eternally spiritually enlightened soul can get us to meet Dhan Dhan Paar Braham Parmesar and help us achieve the salvation. Let us look at these divine words and try to bring in these priceless jewels and diamonds of divine knowledge – Braham Gyan inside our soul and mind.
Without the True Guru, no one has obtained the Lord; without the True Guru, no one has obtained the Lord.
He has placed Himself within the True Guru; revealing Himself,
He declares this openly.
Meeting the True Guru, eternal liberation is obtained;
He has banished attachment from within.
This is the highest thought, that one’s consciousness is attached to the True Lord.
Thus the Lord of the World, the Great Giver is obtained. ||6||
SGGS 466
Dhan Dhan Guru Nanak Patshah Ji has very clearly and loudly stated that nobody has ever achieved and met the Almighty without a Satguru in the past or in the present time. The definition of a Satguru has been very clearly given to us by Dhan Dhan Pancham Patshah Ji Shri Guru Arjun Dev Ji in Sukhmani Sahib –
The one who knows the True Lord God, is called the True Guru.
SGGS 286
Sat Purakh is Akal Purakh Himself and the soul who has recognized and met Akal Purakh, the soul who has merged with Akal Purakh is blessed with the Padvi (spiritual status) of a Satguru by Dhan Dhan Paar Braham Parmesar.
The words “PAA-I-O and PAA-I-AA” in first and second line of the Shalok emphasize that nobody in the past or in the present time has become one with Almighty without a Satguru. This means that without the eternal Gurparsadi blessings of a Satguru and His Gurparsadi Gursangat, nobody has ever and will ever become one with God. This the reson it is a Gurparsadi Khel (game) and depends upon our great good deeds from the previous lives (Purbley Janma Key Ankur) –
jin har jan sathigur sa(n)gath paaee thin dhhur masathak likhiaa likhaas ||
Those humble servants of the Lord
who have pre-ordained destiny inscribed on their foreheads
have attained the Company of the True Guru
SGGS 10
This is how Gurparsadi Khel works: whatever religious deeds – “Punn Karams” we do they keep on accumulating. These “Punn Karams” are – reading and reciting Gurbani, listening Gurbani, Naam Simran, helping the poor, donations to the poor and charity etc. The accumulation of these good doings are negated by the bad doings. And when our good doings are always more than the bad doings, then the good doings are accumulated and when such accumulations of good doings continue and continue for a long time than at one stage our good doings are accumulated so much that are recognized by God. Then at that level Almighty will get us involved in a Gurparsadi Khel. This means that He will bless us eternally with His Gurparsadi Naam – Satnaam, which is the highest eternal gift. This will happen by Him taking us to the Gurparsadi Gursangat of a Satguru, who is authorized by Akal Purakh to bless us with Gurparsadi Naam – Satnaam –
naam amolak rathan hai poorae sathigur paas ||
The Naam is a Priceless Jewel; it is with the Perfect True Guru.
SGGS 40
Because the Almighty has kept and presented Himself only in such a Puran Satguru, and therefore, “Jug Jivan Dataa” the one who gives life to the entire universe, who is the creator and doer, the one who gives the eternal and spiritual life and the one who gives the salvation to our souls, is available to us only in the Satguru.
Such a Guru who has won over Maya is the Satguru. It is very important to understand here that the most difficult task in Puran Bhagtee is to win over Maya. This is the last stage of Puran Bhagtee. When the Bhagat wins over the Maya, which keeps on distracting the soul in various forms, and completely contented state of mind and soul – Sat Santokh, is achieved only when the Bhagat wins over the Maya and the Maya becomes under the control of the Bhagat.
In other words, complete contentment in Truth – Sat Santokh is the key to win over the Maya. Having no desires will mean you are in the state of “Sat Santokh” and therefore no distractions by Maya. In this fight with Maya a stage comes when Maya is badly beaten up by the Bhagat, at this stage all the plays of the Maya are defeated by the Bhagat, and the Maya is physically beaten up by the Bhagat, at this stage Maya comes under the feet of the Bhagat and then on it starts to serve the Bhagat.
The famous story of Sant Kabir is a true example of how Maya was physically beaten by Sant Kabir – when He was weaving a piece of cloth, Maya appeared before him and turned his weaving tool to gold. Sant Kabir knew it was Maya, so He took an knife to cut her nose, the Maya turned the knife also to gold, at this point Sant Kabir cut her nose and ears and that is how He won over the Maya.
I have cut off her (Maya’s) nose, and cut off her ears,
and cutting her into bits, I have expelled her.
Says Kabeer, she is the darling of the three worlds (all beings in creation),
but the enemy of the Saints. ||4||4||
SGGS 476
Many times Maya will appear in Smadhi and Sun Smadhi of the Bhagat in various forms and will try to distract Him, the Bhagat has to win over every distraction of Maya until she comes and tells the Bhagat that now she will start serving Him.
The Satguru, therefore, is that soul who has :
- won over the Maya and is a Jivan Mukt,
- become a Puran Sant Satgur and completely merged with Paar Braham, and
- been blessed by Almighty with eternal spiritual treasures.
Only such a soul, who is an apostle of truth, is himself truth, has become a Pargatyeo Jyot Himself, will be able to show us the path to meet the Almighty and let us achieve salvation.
Let us take a few minutes and think about our soul in the light of the above described divine knowledge and make a truthful judgment about ourselves as to where do we stand. If we do so, we will definitely be able to find the deficiencies in ourselves and once we recognize our shortcomings then we will strive for removing them and by doing so we will move our souls closer to the Gurparsadi Khel.
This message has been written with the Gurparsadi Gurkirpa of Dhan Dhan Paar Braham Parmesar and Dhan Dhan Sant Satguru Baba Ji.
A Humble Servant